Research Area

Autecology of forest species; plant water relations; plant responses to burial.

Description of Research

I study forest ecology, particularly the factors that limit where forest tree species can grow. Current research is emphasizing water relations of trees of the Himalayas and North America. In addition, since 1980 I have studied recovery of plants from burial by volcanic debris from Mount St. Helens.

Research Group Members

Graduate Students

Courses

BOT 341 Plant Ecology
BOT 441/541 Plant Autecology
BOT 444/544 Plant Geography
BOT 634 Plant Water Relations

Related Publications

Zobel, D.B. and J.A. Antos. 1992. Survival of plants buried for eight growing seasons by volcanic tephra. Ecology 73:698-701.

Singh, S.P., B.S. Adhikari, and D.B. Zobel. 1994. Biomass, productivity, leaf longevity, and forest structure in the central Himalaya. Ecological Monographs 64:401-421.

Zobel, D.B., J. Ram, and S.S. Bargali. 1995. Structural and physiological changes in Quercus leucotrichophora and Pinus roxburghii associated with stand disturbance in the Kumaun Himalaya, India. International Jour. Ecol. Envir. Sci. 21: 45-66.

Zobel, D.B. 1996. Variation of water relations parameters with extended rehydration time, leaf form, season, and proportion of leaf. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 26: 175-185.

Zobel, D.B. 1996. Using twig starch levels as an index of tree stress in Himalyan forests. Pages 273-280 in Environment and Biodiversity (in the context of South Asia), P.K. Jha, G.P.S. Ghimire, S.B. Karmacharya, S.R. Baral and P. Lacoul (eds). Ecological Society (ECOS), Kathmandu, Nepal

Zobel, D.B. and J.A. Antos.1997. A decade of recovery of understory vegetation buried by volcanic tephra from Mount St. Helens. Ecological Monographs 67:317-344.

Zobel, D.B. and S. P. Singh.1997. Himalayan forests and ecological generalizations. BioScience 47:735-745.            

Zobel, D.B.1998. Chamaecyparis forests. A comparative analysis.Pages 39-53 IN A.D. Laderman, editor. Coastally Restricted Forests. Oxford University Press, New York.

Zobel, D.B., S.C. Garkoti, and S.P. Singh. 2001. Leaf Conductance of Primary and Mature Needles of Pinus roxburghii: A Comparison. Journal of Forest Research 6: 1-5.

Zobel, D.B., S.C. Garkoti, S.P. Singh, A. Tewari, and C.M.S. Negi. 2001. Patterns of water potential among forest types of the central Himalaya. Current Science 80: 774-779.

Zobel, D.B., L. Riley, J.H. Kitzmiller and R.A. Sniezko. 2001. Variation in water relations characteristics of terminal shoots of Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) seedlings. Tree Physiology 21: 743-749.

Zobel, D.B., J.H. Kitzmiller, R.A. Sniezko, and L. Riley. 2002. Range-wide genetic variation in Port-Orford-cedar (Cupressaceae, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana): II. Timing of height growth. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 14: 33-49.